Review: Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza

Title: Kat and Meg Conquer The World 

Author: Anna Priemaza
Publisher: HarperTeen 

Publishing Date: November 17th, 2017

Pages: 368
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction/Mental Health

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: Audio

 

Kat and Meg couldn’t be more different.

Kat’s anxiety makes it hard for her to talk to new people. The only place she feels safe is in front of her computer, playing her favorite video game.

Meg hates being alone, but her ADHD keeps pushing people away. Friends. Her boyfriend. Even the stepfather who raised her.

But when the two girls are thrown together for a year-long science project, they discover they do have one thing in common: their obsession with the online gaming star LumberLegs and his hilarious videos.

Meg’s pretty sure this is fate. Kat doesn’t know how to deal with someone who talks faster than she thinks. But if they can stick together and stay out of their heads, they might figure out how to help each other—and build the kind of friendship Kat never knew she wanted and Meg never believed she’d find.

This book has been on my TBR for so long. I kept seeing raving reviews but for some reason, I kept putting it off. No clue as to why. I guess I just don't do contemporary very often. Thi book was so wonderful. A book about friendship and facing fears, and finding oneself, and I just absolutely loved it. 

There are these two girls, each with a mental illness of sorts... Kat has severe anxiety and Meg has severe ADHD. These girls have issues with relationships and dealing everyday life. One fateful day the science fair gods place them in a partnership that will forever change their lives. 

The most wonderful thing about this book isn't the story (which is cute and fluffy and lovely and everything good) but more the characters. The characters make the story. The characters shine, they show real, they show honest, they show growth and friendship. If you follow my reviews you now that I am a character driven reader. I love awesome character development and growth. I love to live in other's heads. I want to see it and feel it and know it. I want to breathe my characters and their lives. This book gave me that. 

Kat has severe anxiety and panic attacks. She just moved and started a new school. Everything is new and different and with her anxiety everything is scary (she literally fears everything) She wasn't just dealing with a new school but her home life was in upheaval too. Her grandfather needed assistance, so her family moved in with him. Hence the new school. Her brother, who is her closest friend, recently went to college and really doesn't have much time for her anymore. And now she is assigned to do a science fair project (grades and perfection being ultra important to her) with a girl and can't stay focused for more than a few minutes at a time. 

Meg has severe ADHD. I mean her mind is on overdrive 100  percent of the time. This made for a fun read from her POV let me tell you. She is all over the place all the time, always talking and moving and changing subjects. She never rests. Her stepfather has recently left the home after divorcing Meg's mother. He hasn't been in touch with Meg since the divorce. She can't seem to keep friends and she feels really alone. That is until she meets Kat. 

Both characters, completely different from each other, were a joy to know. They both had their issues but they also each had great personalities. They fit together well too. Kind of balanced each other out. After being paired up they started working on the science project, discovered they were both obsessed with the same online computer game, and they just really hit it off. 

This book was made for me. AS a teen I was ADD (still am some) and as an adult... anxiety like crazy... one of my favorite hobbies, besides the obviousness of reading, games.... including multi-mass online role-playing games... I so understood and related to so much of this story. 

That wasn't even the best part, although it was pretty fun to read, The best part was the relationships and the growth of all the characters. Just what I cherish so much in my books. The girls changed each other and improved each other. Their families learned and grew with them. IT was just all so great. Yes, I am gushing! 

I loved loved loved this book. So much love. 

Anna Priemaza is a contemporary young adult author and a practicing family and immigration lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta, where she lives with her husband. She can never quite remember how old she is, as she knits like an old lady, practices law like an adult, fangirls over YouTubers like a teen, and dreams like a child.